Hone Heke Essay

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Hone Heke Blake Stothart 300284794: Word Count-1338 Throughout his life Maori chief Hone Heke, (1807-1850) established himself as a pivotal figure in early New Zealand history. From his days as a young warrior, distinguishing himself at a battle in Kororareka in 1830 to his involvement and aftermath of Te Tiriti o Waitangi- the Treaty of Waitangi, he set himself apart from other Maori being the first to sign the treaty, yet the first to stand up against the oppression this ‘scrap of paper’ caused to Maori. Although seen by some of his contemporise as a troublemaker his legacy has been enhanced over the preceding 150 years as the flaws of the Treaty have been exposed with treaty claims and settlements still being held to this very day. Hone Heke was an intellectual man who, like many leader of the later national movement, had received a missionary education, being converted by Henry Williams and was well read in Biblical texts. He had certain vague aspirations towards nationalism and even republicanism, the latter due perhaps to the influence of local Americans and Frenchman. He saw himself as a patriot, fighting not for his tribe but for his people. However, at times this view was not shared by many other Maori chiefs of the time. Most Maori believed that, since Heke had acted on his own initiative, it was his own fight, at most a Nga Puhi concern. Te Rauparaha wrote to Te Wherowhero recommending that, as senior chiefs, they should keep peace in the land. Te Wherowhero refused to become involved, and rejected Heke’s suggestion that the Mount Victoria Flag pole should be cut down. The Treaty of Waitangi signed on February 6 1840 changed the social, cultural, political and economic landscape of a young country forever, with Hone Heke at the very centre of this. During a hui
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